Practice! Practice! Practice!

 


Sometimes, when I am just sitting around at the house, I’ll feel this little “God nudge” that prompts me to look up a verse in the Bible.  It happened today.  I felt like I should go look up Philippians 3:14 and write about whatever I found.

 Now I’m not one of those people who know Bible verses by their number so I actually had to look it up - what I found was a verse that I’ve always paired with another - 13.  Together they read… “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

That convicted me.

In high school I swam.  A lot.  During the season we’d swim for an hour in the morning before school, and then again for a few hours after school. 

And, whether you were a swimmer, a runner, a volleyball player, a cheerleader, or on the school’s debate team, or simply a student seeking good grades - the fact of the matter is, those who excelled practiced.  Those who wanted to improve, dedicated time each day to improving.

 I am a fairly new Christian and I know I want to be a better one.  But God just pushed me to read this verse and to ask myself, “What are you doing to get better?  How are you practicing.”

There is an old saying that says, “practice makes perfect,” and while I don’t believe anyone can be a perfect example of Christianity, there is certainly room for me to be a BETTER representative.  So, it’s time to go practice!

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